Spurs draft list gets shorter

It’s getting late in the draft process. The Spurs, like other teams, are beginning to dot their i’s and cross their t’s in preparation for next week’s pick-a-thon.

They are also beginning to cross some names off their list.

A handful of players the Spurs worked out or interviewed have elected to return to college or pursue other opportunities. The most recent of Spurs’ would-be prospects to pull their names from the draft in advance of today’s deadline are Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez and Notre Dame big man Luke Harangody.

Others who have worked out for the Spurs but have since withdrawn from the draft are Arizona point guard Nic Wise, Texas forward Damion James and Florida point guard Nick Calathes. Calathes, a junior-to-be, elected to accept a $1.1 million offer to turn pro in Greece last month.

All of this was to be expected, of course.

Picking where the Spurs are picking, with three picks in the second round and none in the first, it’s not like they were working out the Blake Griffins of the world. Their audition list included a handful of bubble players who might not be drafted at all. Those are the type of players who eventually end up returning to college.

It’s not like the extra workouts were a waste of time for the Spurs, however. They now have another layer of information on these prospects looking forward to next year’s draft.